Chapter 37: The pool
The guys went to the gym in the basement. Ann followed their bantering with a smile until they were out of earshot. Keira showed her to the pool and lent her one of her bikinis. The pool was indoors, in what seemed a wing of the house that stretched into the garden. It was maybe not the most fashionable pool ever but Ann was impressed. She had rarely known anyone who owned an indoors pool.
They swam for a while, Keira with the sure single-mindedness of an athlete, Ann slower and very conscious of her surroundings. After the best part of an hour, Keira climbed out of the water. "Want a drink? Some juice or something?"
"Yes, that would be great." Ann followed her out. She took one of the towels that lay beside the pool, drying herself off before knotting the towel around her waist.
Keira brought the drinks and they lay down in the deckchairs that looked over the garden.
After a minute's silence Keira carefully asked, "So, you and Mark, you two an item?"
Ann didn't quite know what to answer. What was Keira's definition of 'being an item'?
"Kind of", she finally replied.
"Sorry I'm asking. It's just that Mark never brought someone before. And as far as Glen told me you two haven't known each other very long."
"Not even a week." Ann thought back to the trip to Summer's Heart. She knew the blossoming smile would betray all her feelings to Keira but she couldn't suppress it.
"Oh, love on first sight, who would have thought." A good-natured but somewhat cautious smile accompanied Keira's words.
"How long have you three known each other?" Ann asked curiously.
"Oh my, seems like forever. Glen and Mark worked together. Didn't you know?"
It was a test of sorts, Ann could tell. "No, I just knew they are friends."
Keira nodded. "Well it was before…" She broke off.
"That I do know", Ann answered the unspoken question. So this was what Keira had been aiming at.
"Oh good. I mean, not good but – good that you know." Keira looked relieved. "I really wouldn't have known what to say if you didn't."
"Was Rebekka a friend of yours?" Ann probed gently.
Keira looked at Ann for the longest moment. "Bekka was my best friend."
Guilt knocked at Ann's heart. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault." Keira smiled.
Still the situation had turned somewhat awkward. Ann felt like Keira judged her against Rebekka. She bit her lips. You couldn't compete against the dead. And she had never meant to, either.
Finally Keira said, "Look, I'm sorry. You seem a nice gal and I don't have any prejudices against you. Plus I know Mark just dragged you here without giving you a warning. But we have become quite protective of him. He may look firm as a rock but he really didn't take her death well."
"I know." When Keira didn't answer, she added, "That's kind of the first thing he told me about himself. What happened at that accident."
That seemed to surprise Keira. "He did?"
Ann nodded.
"Well, seems you are something special. He doesn't talk about it usually, especially not to strangers." Keira gave her a wondering look, like trying to figure out what Mark saw in her.
Ann became uncomfortable under that gaze. "So, Glen and Mark worked together?"
She was successful in diverting Keira's attention. "Yeah, they did. But if Mark hasn't told you about it, it's maybe better he does so himself. He isn't fond of people spilling his stories."
"Is it that bad?" Ann hadn't thought about what Mark might have done for a living before he opened his shop.
"Sort of." Keira grinned.
Ann raised her eyebrows. How to interpret that? But Keira just changed the topic. "So, where do you work?"
"Umm", Ann grimaced, "I work at the 'Charms for Friends'. It's gift shop in the Eastern Mall. Nothing fancy." She wasn't ashamed of her work but in this gorgeous house working at the mall seemed like being a house-maid.
"Do you like the job?"
That was not a category she had ever tried to put the job in. "Well, it's ok. I wanted the job so I guess I can't complain."
She was saved from any further questions about her choice of work when they heard the guys coming back. They were obviously in the best mood.
"Man, you kick ass as ever! You should sell that shop and come back."
"Never. And now stop harassing me about it", Mark not very seriously growled.
"You finished early", Keira beamed a smile at Glen as the guys came in.
"Of course we did", Glen bent over to give Keira a kiss. "Thought, we had better things to do with our time. Like swimming with you ladies and inviting you out for dinner."
"Mmm", Keira sensually kissed him back, "good idea that is. Can hardly believe it's coming from you guys, so good is it."
"Be careful", Glen growled in her ear before lifting her up and nonchalantly throwing her into the pool.
Keira's scream was quickly drowned but when she came up again she was laughing. "You're so gonna pay for that, you big bastard."
"Come and get me!" Glen grinned widely.
Keira splashed water in his direction but Glen was fast as hell behind Mark, so the water hit Mark instead of him.
"Can't you two fight that out between yourselves?" Mark shook himself off like a wet dog. When Glen just laughed out loud, Mark promptly grabbed him and threw him right into the pool.
Keira clapped her hands. "Whoa for Mark!"
Glen didn't even break the surface before pulling Keira's legs away from under her. Keira retorted at once and soon they were engaged in a splish-splashing cat-fight.
Mark sat down on the chair beside Ann. "Maybe we wait a little until we join them."
Ann watched the couple chasing each other around with fascination. "How long did you say are they married?"
"Something like 6 years. Hard to believe, huh?"
It was. If he had told her they had been together for 6 months it would have been easier to believe. They behaved like freshly fallen-in-loves.
When the storm in the water had toned down a bit, Mark and Ann joined the others in the water. Ann could feel Mark's eyes on her though he made no comment about the bikini. It showed considerably more skin than anything else she had worn around him up to now. She had without doubt been luckier in that department. A smile crept up into the corners of her mouth as she remembered last night. The dragon rippled across his skin as he dove from one side of the pool to the other. In the water it seemed even more alive.
Suddenly she became aware that the laughter and splashing that had been a constant in the background had died away. When she looked around she found two pairs of eyes watching her, with Glen whispering something into Keira's ear.
When Keira noticed Ann was looking at them, she patted her husband on the chest. "You've been caught, honey."
Glen shrugged and flashed Ann a wide smile. "You just looked too cute, watching him like that."
Mark had heard the last part of Glen's sentence. He swam over to her. "Watching me, huh?" he grinned.
"Not you, dummy, the dragon!" She retorted as sugary as possible.
When Glen doubled over in the water from laughing, Mark playfully scowled at him. "Be careful you don't drown accidentally!" Looking back at Ann his voice changed, becoming lower, the southern accent much thicker. "Only the dragon, darlin'?"
They stood real close now, looking into each other's eyes, inches away from a kiss, when Glen called out, "Go for the catch, Ta-…" Then the sound of gurgles abruptly drowned his sentence.